Crossover cementing apparatus



Filed 001;. 22, 1965 C. C. BROWN CROSSOVER CEMENTING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 LICERO 6'. BROWN INVENTOR.

Oct. 10, 1967 c. c. BROWN CROSSOVER CEMENTING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 22, 1965 Oct. 10, 1967 c. c. BI QOWN 3,346,050

CROSSOVER CEMENTING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5'" Filed 001;. 22, 1965 clcsko 0. BROWN INVENTOR.

A TTORNE) United States PatentOfifice fi ififiiid Patented Oct. 10, 1967 3,346,050 CROSSGVER CEMENTING APPARATUS Cicero C. Brown, Brown Oil Tools, Iuc., P.0. Box

' 19236, Houston, Tex; 77024 Filed Get. 22, 1955, Ser. No. 500,929 3 Claims. (Cl. 166128) This invention is directed to well tools and more particularly to a crossover cementing tool for use in connection with liner-setting and cementing apparatus generally.

In my copending U.S. application Ser. No. 307,659, I have disclosed a method for cementing well liners by what I have termed crossover cementing by which is meant a method in which the cement is delivered in a downward direction between the liner and the Well bore, starting at a point adjacent the upper end of the liner. This is in contrast to the more conventional cementing method wherein the cement is pumped down through the I crossover cementing method. In'the forms of apparatus vdescribed in these applications various arrangements are disclosed for moving a sleeve valve by which the crossover passages in the crossover tool may be opened and closed 7 in the course of operation of the apparatus. In each case,

the movement of the sleeve is eitected by plugging the bore of the valve sleeve and then employing fluid pressure, acting on the plug, to slide the valve relative to the crossover ports. Retractive movement of the valve is eliected by relatively complicated movements of the tool string.

The present invention has for its principal object the provision of an improved crossover cementing apparatus useful in connection withsetting and cementing of well liners which effects the opening and closing of crossover passages simply by raising and lowering the operating string to the requisite extent, thereby greatly simplifying the operation of the cementing apparatus.

A morespecific object is the provision of a crossover body which carries means for anchoring it to the Well liner and a packer for sealing oil between the tool string and well wall above the crossover passages. The apparatus includes a ported mandrel slidable in the bore of the crossover body and carries. means for axially compressing and thereby expanding the packer contemporaneously with opening the crossover passages, retractive moye'ment of the mandrel being eflective to close the passages while at the same time releasing the expansive force on the packer.

A further object is the provision of an improved crossover apparatus of the character described in combination with a liner hanger and setting elements therefor.

Other and more specific objects and advantages of this invention will become more readily apparent from the 'following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing which illustrates a useful embodiment in accordance with this invention.

In the drawing, FIGS. laand 1b, together, constitute 'a longitudinal, partly sectional view of a cementing apparatus in accordance with this invention;

FIGS. 3 to 7, inclusive, are similar longitudinal sectional views illustrating the positions of the parts of the apparatus at various stages in the operation thereof.

Referring first to FIGS. 1a, lb and 2, the liner and liner setting elements will be first described. These include a liner 10 of any desired length and dimensions, which is to be run into a well bore W and anchored in the lower end of an existing well bore lining, such as a casing C. The lower end of liner 10 is connected to a float shoe assembly, designated generally by the letter P, which is secured to the liner by means of a latching collar 11, the

- purpose'of which will be described subsequently. Float shoe assembly F includes a nipple 12 of substantially the same diameter as liner 10 and of any suitable length, having secured to its lower end a float shoe 13 provided with ports 14. The bore of the float shoe, at a point above ports 14, is initially closed by means of a downwardly closing check valve 15 mounted in a tubular housing 16 which is, in turn, releasably secured, by means of a shear pin 18, to a mounting ring 17 supported in the bore of the float shoe. With this arrangement, the application of fluid pressure to the upper end of housing 16 will break shear pin 18 and eject thevalve housing and the check valve into the bottom of the float shoe, thereby opening the interior of nipple 12 to ports 14, for purposes to appear subsequently.

The upper end of liner 10 is secured to a generally conventional liner hanger assembly, designated generally by the latter H, and includes a tubular hanger body 20 and an anchor assembly comprising the downwardly tapering expander 21 carried on the exterior of body 20, -a friction cage 22 carrying bow springs 23 frictionally engageable with the wall of easing C, and a plurality of wedge slips 24 are carried on the upper end of cage 22 and disposed about the lower end of expander 21 for radial movement thereby in response to relative longitudinal movement between the slips and the expander. Conventional I-slotand-pin connections 22a are provided between cage 22 and body 20 to initially secure the slip cage to the body to hold the slips ininactive position and operable by a slight relative rotation of the body to eflect the release of V the tool string: These include a tubular crossover housing 30 connected at its lower end to a coupling collar 31 which is, in turn, connected to a tubular extension 32,

the lower end of which is provided with an internally threaded socket 33 for receiving the upper end of a tubular hanger nipple 34 which extends into the bore of hanger body 20. A bearing collar 35 is rotatably mounted about the upper end of nipple 34 and is adapted to seat on an internal shoulder 36 provided at an intermediate point in the bore of setting sleeve 25. Anti-friction bearings 37 are disposed between bearing collar 35 and the lower end of extension 32. With this arrangement, it will be seen that with bearing collar 35 seated on shoulder 36 rotation of extension 32 will rotate nipple 34 relative to the hanger body. A floating nut 27 is arranged between nipple 34 and setting sleeve 25. The bore of the latter is provided with a section of coarse left-hand threads 26 which are engaged by complementary external threads on nut 27.

The bore of the latter is provided with longitudinal spline out the length of liner L, passing through the bore of latching collar 11 into float shoe nipple 12. A latching sleeve 43 is secured about the exterior of tail pipe 42 by means of shear pins 44, being located on the tail pipe at a point such that when the tail pipe is inserted into the liner the latching sleeve will enter latching collar 11. The latching sleeve is provided with an external shoulder 45 engageable with an internal shoulder 46 in the latching collar and carries a snap ring 47 receivable in a groove 48 provided in the bore of latching collar 11. Internal and external seal packings 49 and 58 are provided on latching sleeve 43 to seal off between tail pipe 42 and latching collar 11. The lower end of tail pipe 42, which extends into float shoe nipple 12, carries a closure cap 1 on its lower end releasably secured to the tail pipe by means of shear pins 52. The tail pipe is provided with a plurality of lateral circulation ports 53 at a point just above cap 51. The latter carries an external snap ring 54 which is adapted to be snapped into a snap ring groove 55 provided in the bore of latching sleeve 43 below internal packing 49.

Tail pipe 42 carries an external anchor assembly, designated generally by the letter A, which includes a downwardly tapering conical expander 60 fixedly carried on the exterior of the mandrel. A slip cage 61, slidably mounted on the exterior of the mandrel, carries a set of circumferentially spaced slips 62 arranged to be operable in response to relative longitudinal movement between the expander and the slips to be moved by the expander into gripping engagement with the wall of the hanger body 28. Slips 62 are held in initially non-engaged position spaced from expander 60 by means of spring fingers 63 mounted on cage 61 and engageable beneath an external shoulder 64 provided on the exterior of tail pipe 42. A releasing sleeve 65 is slidably mounted about tail pipe 42 below cage 61 and is initially seated on an external shoulder 66 on the tail pipe. Anchor assembly A is of a wellknown type illustrated and described in my US. Patent No. 2,765,853. This form of anchor is actuatable by reciprocating movements of tail pipe 42 to eflect release of fingers 63 from shoulder 64, so as to allow expander 60 to be moved downwardly relative to slips 62 and thereby anchor the tail pipe to hanger body 20.

Returning again to the upper portion of the tool string, which includes the crossover tool and packer elements, a general tubular crossover body 70 is mounted in the bore of housing 30 and is secured to the latter by a plurality of radially extending conduits 71, the inner ends of which communicate with the bore of body 70 and the outer ends of which open through the wall of housing 30 to the exterior thereof. Near the lower end of body 70 the latter is provided with a plurality of radial by-pass ports 72 which communicate the bore of the body with the exterior of the latter, thereby communicating the bore of the body with the interior of housing 30. A tubular crossover mandrel 75 having an axial bore 75a extends slidably through crossover body 70 and has its lower end projecting into coupling collar 31. The lower end of this mandrel carries radially extending splines 76 engageable with longitudinal splines 77 carried by the bore wall of coupling collar 31. Thus, a limited amount of relative longitudinal movement is provided between crossover mandrel 75 and coupling collar 31, while restraining relative rotation therebetween. The downward movement of crossover mandrel 75 is limited by an abutment formed in collar 31 by the upper end 32a of extension 32. Mandrel 75 is provided with upper and lower sets of radial ports 78 and 79, respectively, so spaced with respect to the spacing between conduits 71 and by-pass ports 72 that at one axial position of the mandrel relative to the crossover head these ports will be in register, respectively, with conduits 71 and by-pass ports 72. The extent of the longiutdinal movement necessary to effect such registration will be determined by the amount of travel permitted between the lower end of the mandrel and upper end 32a of extension 32 in collar 31. In the elevated position, as shown in FIG. 1, ports 78 and 79 will be disposed between spaced pairs of annular packings 8tl80 and 8181, respectively, whereby to shutoff communication between the bore of the mandrel and the crossover passages. An annular shoulder 82 is provided in bore 75a of the mandrel at a point just above lower ports 79. Shoulder 82 is designed to serve as a landing stop for a plugging elementE (FIGS. 3 to 6) adapted to seal off bore 75a between ports 78 and 79, as will appear subsequently.

A packer, designated generally by the letter P, is mounted on the upper end of housing 30 comprising a packer body 85 secured at its upper end to a cap 86 having an inwardly extending annular flange 87 about its upper end. Mounted about the exterior of packer body 85 is an annular resilient seal element 88, the lower end of which is attached to an end ring 89 which is threadedly secured to the upper end of housing 30. An upper end ring 90 connects the upper end of the packer to cap 86. Packer body 85 is slidable through the bore of packer 88 and the lower end ring 89, so that when axial downward pressure is applied to cap 86, the resulting axial compression will be transmitted to seal element 88, radially expanding the latter to seal ofl. between housing 30 and the wall of easing C. Crossover mandrel 75 extends through the bore of packer body 85 and of flange 87, having its upper end threaded to be received in a coupling 91 by which the tool string may be secured to an operating pipe string S. The lower end of collar 91 forms an external downwardly facing shoulder or abutment 92 engageable with the upper end of cap 86 in response to appropriate relative downward movement of the operating string during the operation of the structure, as will appear subsequently. Cap 86 is provided with a plurality of radial ports 93 communicating the interior of housing 30 with the interior of casing C. Mandrel 75 is provided near its upper end with an external shoulder 94 spaced from abutment 92 and abuttable with the lower face of flange 87 to limit relative upward movement of the mandrel with respect to the crossover and packer structure.

In operation, the apparatus, assembled as illustrated in FIGS. 1a and lb, will be lowered into the well until liner hanger H is at a selected point inside casing C for attachment to the liner. At this stage neither liner hanger H nor internal anchor assembly A will have been actuated.

The first operation will be to rotate the operating string a slight angular distance in the left-hand direction to release J-slot connection 22a. The friction between springs 23 and the casing wall will hold cage 22 against rotation to permit this relative rotation of the other parts of the hanger and liner suspended therefrom. Upon release of the I-slot and pin connection the operating string will be lowered sufficiently to cause expander 21 to urge slips 24 radially into anchoring engagement with the Wall of casing C, thereby setting the liner hanger and securing the liner to the casing (FIG. 3). When the slips have been set, the operating string will be rotated in the right-hand direction a suflicient number of turns to retract and release floating nut 27, thereby releasing the tool string for relative longitudinal movement with respect to the liner and liner hanger. Thereupon the operating string will be raised sufficiently to enable releasing sleeve 65 to release slips 62 from engagement with shoulder 64, after which downward movement of the operating string will move expander 60 into expansive engagement with slips 62 urging the latter into gripping engagement with hanger body 20 and thereby anchoring the operating string against downward movement relative to the hanger body while permitting upward movement relative thereto (FIG. 4).

Circulation of washing fluid will be begun through the bore of the operating pipe string downwardly through the interconnected elements, including mandrel 75, connector 32, nipples 34 and 41, and cementing madrel 42. The wash fluid will discharge through circulation ports 53 and will exert pressure against check valve housing 16 suflicient to rupture shear pin 18 and blow the check valve housing and check valve 15 out of mounting ring 17 into the float shoe, thereby opening communication with ce mentin g ports 14. The wash fluid will then flow upwardly through the annulus surrounding the tool string to the surface, the path of flow being generally illustrated by the arrows in FIG. 3. The wash. fluid will be followed by the first of the cementing plugs E, which immediately precedes the body of cement K introduced through operating pipe S.

When plug E strikes shoulder 82, the bore of mandrel 75 will be closed off between upper and lower crossover ports 78 and 79. The resulting increase in pressure will be reflected at the surface and will provide a signal to the operator in response to which the operating string will be lowered from the surface, moving mandrel 75 downwardly so ,as to place upper crossover ports 78 in communication with conduits 71, while lower ports 79 are placed in communication with by-pass ports 72 in the crossover body. This downward movement of the operating string will also serve to bring shoulder 92 into downward engagement with flange 87 and produce axial compression on packer seal 88, expanding it into sealing engagement with the wall of easing C (FIG. 4).

All of these operations occur substantially simultaneously or in rapid succession and flow of cement will take place as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 4, to wit: through crossover ports 78 and conduits 71 downwardly through the annulus between the liner and the well wall to the bottom of the well bore, thence through ports 14 to a level in nipple 12 as determined by the precalculated volume of cement slurry which is introduced into the well followed by a second plug E, which will abut plug E when the calculated volume of cement has been displaced into the well by a following displacing fluid, in accordance with conventional cementing practice. Arrival of plug E at its terminal position will seal off the bore of the crossover mandrel above ports 78 and stop further outflow of fluid. The resulting back-pressure rise will provide a signal at the surface that this stage of operation is complete.

The wash fluid in advance of the cement will be displaced thereby through circulation ports 53 into tail pipe 42, thence upwardly through lower crossover ports 79 and by-pass ports 72 into the annular spaced between the crossover body and housing 30 from which this fluid will discharge through ports 93 into the well annulus above expander seal packer 88, all as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 4.

Plugs E and E are provided with axial passages 95 and 96, respectively, fitted with check valves 97 and 98, respectively, spring biased to permit upward fluid flow through the passages while preventing downward flow therethrough, for purposes to be described subsequently.

When the cement is in place, washing operations will be conducted to remove excess cement from the crossover passages and from the tail pipe and operating pipe string. First, as illustrated in FIG. 5, with the packet still set,

washing fluid will be circulated through the well annulus downwardly through ports 93 into the interior of the crossover housing, and thence through by-pass ports 72 and crossover ports 79 into the bore of the crossover mandrel. As the fluid cannot move downwardly because of the body of cement near the lower end of the string, the washing fluid will flow upwardly through valve passages 95 and 96, and thence upwardly through operating pipe string S to the surface, thereby washing out any excess cement remaining in the crossover body and its passages.

Following this operation, the operating string may be raised sufliciently to lift the tail pipe until cap 51 is pulled up into latching sleeve 43, as shown in FIG. 6, and snap ring 54 is locked into groove 55 in the latching sleeve. Continued upward force on the operating string will rupture shear pins 44, lifting the lower end of the tail pipe above the latching sleeve, as shown. This upward movement of the operating string will produce engagement of shoulder 94 with the underside of flange 87 on the packer cap and will pull the latter upwardly, thereby retracting packer seal 88. Thereupon, washing fluid flowing down the well annulus will flow around the outside of the packer and the crossover housing, and then being barred by the body of cement between the liner hanger and casing C, will flow into the interior of the liner hanger and liner, passing through circulation ports 53- into the interior of the tail pipe, and thence upwardly through the bore of the operating string to the surface, all as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 6. This circulation of the washing fluid will serve to wash out any excess cement remaining in the cementing string above latching sleeve 43, which will be closed by cap 51. a

At the conclusion of the washing operation, if desired,

the entire cementing string, including the crossover assembly and packer, may be withdrawn from the well. The upward movement of theoperating pipe string will elevate expander 60 out of engagement with slips 6?. of the internal anchor assembly A, releasing the latter and freeing the string for the withdrawal from the liner. If, however, it is desired to squeeze the previously placed cement, this operation may be conducted with the same equipment, as illustrated in FIG. 7. The operating string will be lowered again to re-set packer P, internal anchor assembly A serving as a seat for supporting the operating string in the liner. Plugs E and E will be fished out by conventional procedures and the squeeze fluid will then be pumped down the operating pipe string. Since cap 51 is in position closing off the bore of the liner above the cement in nipple 12, the squeeze fluid will be forced to flow through the crossover conduits 71 into the annulus between casing C and the crossover housing 30. This fluid will then exert pressure against the upper end of the body of cement previously placed between the liner hanger and casing C. As much pressure as desired thus may be exerted against the body of the cement in order to squeeze it into the surrounding earth formations.

It will be seen that anchor assembly A performs another important function in providing a seat for the operating string which enables downward movement thereof suflicient to re-open the crossover ports for purpose of the squeeze operation heretofore described.

The aforedescribed apparatus provides blocking means, including packer 88 and plug E, which performs a number of additional important functions, to wit: holding the hydraulic head, both internally and externally of the liner, off of the cement body and the surrounding earth formations and while reversing excess cement out of the well until the cement has set; then enabling removal of the blocking means to restore the hydraulic head on the cement to assure against blowouts.

It will be evident that numerous changes and modifications may be made in the details of the illustrative embodiment within the scope of the appended claims but without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus for use in cementing well liners, comprising in combination with a well liner and a liner hanger for anchoring the liner to a surrounding well casing, a tubular housing, anchor means carried by said housing for releasably securing the same to the well liner, an annular packer means carried by the housing expansible by endwise compression to seal with said well casin a crossover body having an axial bore mounted in said housing, radially extending conduits communicating said axial bore with the exterior of said housing below said packer means, by-pass ports through the wall of said crossover .body below said conduits communicating said axial bore with the interior of said housing, passage means communicating the interior of the housing with the exterior thereof above said packer means, a tubular mandrel connectible to an operating pipe string and extending axially through said housing and said axial bore and longitudinally movable therein by longitudinal movement of said pipe string, longitudinally spaced upper and lower ports through the wall of said mandrel positioned to be moved into and out of communication respectively with said conduits and said by-pass ports in response to predetermined axial movement of the mandrel relative to the housing, and abutment means carried by the mandrel operable to apply endwise compression to said packer means coincident with said predetermined axial movement of said mandrel to the port communicating position.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said housing has a tubular extension member extending into the bore of the liner, latch means arranged .between said extension member and said hanger operable 'by relative angular and longitudinal movements of said extension member to actuate said liner hanger and to release said extension member therefrom.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,227,731 1/1941 Lynes l66l50 2,670,798 3/1954 Owen 166l28 3,051,245 8/1962 Andrew et a1 166l50 CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Primary Examiner.

JAMES A. LEPPINK, Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR USE IN CEMENTING WELL LINERS, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION WITH A WELL LINER AND A LINER HANGER FOR ANCHORING THE LINER TO A SURROUNDING WELL CASING, A TUBULAR HOUSING, ANCHOR MEANS CARRIED BY SAID HOUSING FOR RELEASABLY SECURING THE SAME TO THE WELL LINER, AN ANNULAR PACKER MEANS CARRIED BY THE HOUSING EXPANSIBLE BY ENDWISE COMPRESSON TO SEAL WITH SAID WELL CASING, A CROSSOVER BODY HAVING AN AXIAL BORE MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING, RADIALLY EXTENDING CONDUITS COMMUNICATING SAID AXIAL BORE WTH THE EXTERIOR OF SAID HOUSING BELOW SAID PACKER MEANS, BY-PASS PORT THROUGH THE WALL OF SAID CROSSOVER BODY BELOW SAID CONDUITS COMMUNICATING SAID AXIAL BORE WITH THE INTERIOR OF SAID HOUSING, PASSAGE MEANS COMMUNICATING THE INTERIOR OF THE HOUSING WITH THE EXTERIOR THEREOF ABOVE SAID PACKER MEANS, A TUBULAR MANDREL CONNECTIBLE TO AN OPERATING PIPE STRING AND EXTENDING AXIALLY THROUGH SAID HOUSING AND SAID AXIAL BORE AND LONGITUDINALLY MOVABLE THERIN BY LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT OF SAID PIPE STRING, LONGITUDINALLY SPACED UPPER AND LOWER PORTS THROUGH THE WALL OF SAID MANDREL POSITIONED TO BE MOVED INTO AND OUT OF COMMUNICATION RESPECTIVELY WITH SAID CONDUITS AND SAID BY-PASS PORTS IN RESPONSE TO PREDETERMINED AXIAL MOVEMENT OF THE MANDREL RELATIVE TO THE HOUSING, AND ABUTMENT MEANS CARRIED BY THE MANDREL OPERABLE TO APPLY ENDWISE COMPRESSION TO SAID PACKER 